Shattered Glass
by Kirishtu
Summary: When Shikamaru is given a mission to retrieve a parcel from Suna, he wasn't expecting to be ambushed. Now in the care of a former enemy, Shikamaru's life is literally in the hands of a puppeteer. Kankurou/Shikamaru Part 1 of the Rebirth Quartet
1. Chapter 1

Originally posted on aff 2006-08-07 - 2007-01-24

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All characters (except for the missing nin mentioned in this chapter) forthwith belong to Kishimoto-sensei. The pairing is a bit odd, but as far as I've seen, it's one of a kind. Don't like/agree the pairing, please don't read. I find it a challenge to myself to take a pairing that hasn't been done and create a story for them. Now please, sit back, relax and enjoy.

I.

Nara Shikamaru was a genius. A lazy genius, but a genius nonetheless. As a chuunin, he was given many more privileges than genin, though he mostly was a substitute teacher in the academy or the Hokage's errand-boy. As such, he was usually sent on missions that required picking up groceries, payments, newly made hitai-ates, papers, scrolls, or whatever struck Tsunade's fancy at the moment.

He paused for breath, concealed in branches. His latest mission was to retrieve a scroll and a medicinal plant that went with it for the Hokage. He was told not to ingest the plant, and he had stared at the Godaime for a good long while.

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, dropping to the forest floor. The meeting place was ahead, and Shikamaru wanted this over as soon as possible.

The clearing was empty when he got there. Instinctively, he set about checking for traps and jutsus, but he realized his foolishness soon after he felt the medic nin from Suna appear, their chakras mingling as a sign of peace. Shikamaru approached and bowed slightly, receiving a bow in return.

"Your Hokage sounded very determined to have this," the medic nin said when she pulled a scroll pouch from her pack. Shikamaru smiled wryly.

"When she wants something enough, she'll do almost anything to get it." Shikamaru replied, revealing the small sack of ryo that was to be payment. At the same time, they tossed the sacks to the other's feet, bent, and vanished. Shikamaru settled back against the tree trunk he was hiding in and examined the contents. One scroll. One vial of plant powder.

He tucked the sack into his chuunin vest and leapt from the tree branch to the next one, bounding through the boughs towards Konoha. Only a week away, Sunagakure a day and a half to the northwest. Why didn't the Hokage, pick a location in between the two shinobi villages?

The young chuunin shook his head, and dropped from the bough of an oak to crouch by the river, dipping his hands into the cold running water and cupping them to capture a drink. He saw the glint on the water a split second before the sword swung.

Shikamaru dodged to the side, rolling beneath the swipe, feeling the rush of air over his back. When he came to his feet, kunai were in his hand, cocked and ready to throw. Dark eyes widened a bit, staring at his opponent.

Much taller, and much more muscular than the Konoha boy, a Hidden Rock missing nin lunged at Shikamaru, taking the kunai blows as though they were beestings. Shikamaru dodged, but he was too slow this time. The other nin's fist hit his ribcage, sending him crashing into foliage. Apparently not content with that, the bull of a man lunged again. Shikamaru successfully dodged this time, darting behind the much larger shinobi, turning around, hands flying through seals. The shadows stiffened, and Shikamaru grinned.

"Oh you're a clever boy," a female voice whispered in his ear, just before he hit the ground, unconscious.

Shikamaru woke to something wet being forced down his throat. He gagged, but faced with the decision of choke or swallow, he swallowed.

And regretted it.

His body was instantly on fire, arousal coursing through his body worse than when he woke up from a wet dream or with morning wood. His clothes rubbed against him in all the right ways, making it all the worse.

"He's awake, Shin." That female voice again, further away than before. Shikamaru forced his eyes open; his vision blurred for a brief instant, clearing to show him four adults, three shinobi and one kunoichi, lounging on a pile of blankets and pillows, quite naked. Shikamaru didn't need Kiba's nose to tell him what had been going on while he was unconscious; the bodies of three women beside his own gave him all the mental images he needed.

"Thanks for the pick-me-up, boy," the ox-like man said. Shikamaru assumed this was Shin, and said nothing. He watched the man's face turn purple, until a smaller hand was placed on his arm. The owner of that hand was a slight male who resembled a mole.

"He can give us a better ride than those broads." 'Mole' squeaked out. "He's a ninja brat after all."

Shikamaru twisted his arms, and found them bound. Well, that wasn't good. The other male loomed over him, running slick fingers over Shikamaru's cheek.

"He's pretty. Almost like a girl."

"Then pretend!" The woman chortled, causing the rest of her group to laugh. The Konoha chuunin felt his legs forced apart, a hot mouth at his neck then, and his stomach rebelled.

"Oh fuck! He _puked_ on me!"

A fist hit Shikamaru's cheek, sending him down to the side, a little cry escaping him. He closed his eyes tight when the foot connected with his stomach, gritting his teeth as he was kicked again and again, and finally kicked into unconsciousness.

Zeigi had never felt so humiliated. Having a prize upchuck bile and trail food onto him, his holy body. When he got back to the hideout, Zeigi decided not to bother with the niceties. The Konoha brat was gonna get fucked.

"Fucking used! Konoha bastard!"

Zeigi dunked his face into the water, and felt something sharp prick the back of his neck. Slowly he rose, beady black eyes turning to stare at a kabuki mask. He screamed when those eyes opened, staring at him.

"Tell me everything, and maybe I won't cut off something important."

Zeigi spilled like fear dictated.

Kankurou flew through the trees, irritated. Several of Suna's women had been taken by this group, and now Shikamaru. And Shikamaru was carrying a medicinal plant that could be used in a variety of horrible ways. And if what that bastard said was true, Shikamaru was in danger. A terrible sort, and if Shikamaru didn't know how to deal with what was happening to his body, well.

Kankurou figured he could get Temari to relieve the Konoha chuunin's discomfort.

Temari hadn't shut up about Shikamaru since they returned from trying to get Sasuke back from Orochimaru.

Kankurou dropped to the ground just outside the specified hideout, chakra strings already forming to send Karasu into the cave, just to scout things out. He was alone in this; rescuing the dead came after killing those targets specified. Using Karasu's eyes, Kankurou was able to discern the bodies of four individuals, one of them male. That one he assumed was Shikamaru; it was the only one still breathing. He also was able to discern the bodies of three other individuals, ninja from the look of them. Kankurou gave a grimace, recognizing at least two as missing nin. The two males, Kuronaga Shin and Tamoko Nezaya, were Hidden Rock nin, resembling an ox and lizard respectively. He assumed the man he had left in pieces at the river had been the third missing nin from Rock. The last form, a woman, kunoichi, Kankurou could not discover her former affiliation, but decided to treat her just as he would treat the two remaining missing nin. His top priority was getting Shikamaru out alive.

And preferably in one piece.

Slowly, Kankurou eased his chakra strings back, bringing Karasu back to him. The puppet obeyed, and accepted Kankurou's manipulation back into his bandages. The henge would be simple. Kankurou's hands flashed through the seals, and after a pop and burning ozone, the man he had murdered stood in his place.

This all depended on Kankurou's ability to act.

The puppeteer was up to the challenge.

He walked into the cave and was greeted by the ox-man, Shin, with a grunt.

"What took you so long, huh?"

"You try getting barfed on and cleaning yourself up in two seconds!"

Shin grunted again, accepting the answer his comrade gave him, turning his attention onto the kunoichi beneath him, concentrating on making her scream. He gestured to the unconscious boy by the wall, three bodies of women surrounding him.

"Kid's all yours. Nezaya's helping me with Tomoe." The ox-man snickered, words muffled by flesh, and even more drowned out by a feminine shriek.

Kankurou just ignored them for the moment, looking over at Shikamaru. They'd forced him to swallow that plant powder, most likely more than his body could handle. The kid would want to ride anything that moved, and he'd never be satisfied, not even if he had enough hot pussy or hard cocks to last a few months at the most. Kankurou watched blood trickle from Shikamaru's mouth, judging a bone to be broken, a lung punctured maybe. At least he hadn't been violated yet.

"Zeigi, what's the matter?" Nezaya rasped out, already moving against Tomoe's mouth, the woman choking on his engorged member as she was assaulted from behind.

"Nothing," Kankurou replied, crouching beside Shikamaru's helpless form. "Just want him conscious."

There was vicious sniggering, and Kankurou took the opportunity their mirth gave him to check on the three women. As he figured, they were the missing Suna girls, already quite dead and rotting. How the occupants of the cave couldn't smell the rancid flesh, Kankurou would never know, but it gave him the opportunity to lay out his chakra threads around Shikamaru. He waited then for the screams of passion to reach their crescendo, dropping the henge before sending Karasu out, the puppet's blades slashing bodies helpless in the positions they were in. He didn't want to give the missing nin a chance to follow them; alone, he could most likely kill them easily. But now he had Shikamaru to care for, and once the Konoha chuunin was tucked safely into Karasu's chest, Kankurou bolted.

He heard pursuit, but he knew he could lose them the moment he entered the desert. It was the only way he could give Shikamaru a chance for survival, and survive himself. They were wounded; Kankurou was whole and healthy.

His feet hit the sands as the shuriken went whirling over his head. The weapons were badly thrown; had Kankurou been a head taller he would've found himself a head shorter, and missing an extra appendage or so. He ran, fingers running through seals, sand kicking up in a storm to cover his trail. He truly didn't believe that the missing nin behind them would give up so easily, but he wasn't going to take any chances. And Shikamaru was getting too heavy to carry on his back within Karasu.

He made it to an oasis by nightfall, and set his favourite puppet on the shifting sands, opening him to retrieve the Konoha nin within his hollow belly. Shikamaru was light, lighter than Kankurou remembered, but at least he was still unconscious. He pulled off his hat to lay under Shikamaru's head, and set the Konoha chuunin down on the sands. Kankurou crouched beside the brunette, checking over the wounds. He opened the chuunin vest, removed it to lessen the pressure on his chest in case Shikamaru's ribs really were broken, and pushed up the mesh shirt, running his fingers over the highly sensitive skin. Shikamaru didn't make a sound, but evidence of how Kankurou's touches were affecting him soon became quite clear. Kankurou whispered an apology, and moved to wrap up the other boy's chest before cleaning and wrapping the superficial cuts with what bandage he had left. He sat back then, and drew Karasu into his lap to fix the blades that had been blocked by kunai and twisted out of joint. It was the only thing he could do before Shikamaru woke up.

Kankurou was preparing skewers of lizard meat when the chuunin woke. Shikamaru didn't make a sound, rather figuring out where he was like a ninja were trained to do in an unfamiliar situation. Kankurou held out a skewer, carefully keeping his eyes from meeting Shikamaru's. He kept his fingers from touching the other boy's as well, but his eyes found Shikamaru's anyway, and he jolted a little bit. Shikamaru was helpless against him, body wanting some kind of stimulus for release. Kankurou could easily over power him into the sands, and take him where he sat. The kunai was pointed at his throat before he could finish formulate a plan to take advantage of Shikamaru.

"I can still think despite this," Shikamaru whispered, eyes closing for a brief moment before opening, his kunai wavering. Kankurou reached out and removed the kunai from the other shinobi's hand, and drew him down beside him.

"Your body's fucked up enough as it is, Shikamaru. I don't think you want to be tied up right now."

"...How troublesome..."

"Yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

II.

Kankurou watched Shikamaru writhe on the sands, caught in the throes of a nightmare. His body was weakening despite the food and water the Suna ninja had pumped Shikamaru full of, and Kankurou could no longer watch as Shikamaru arched, spine curving to the breaking point, before thankfully relaxing, chest rising and falling sharply. The puppeteer hadn't counted on Shikamaru's resolve, the other boy deigning to suffer through the nightmares that subject himself to the release sex could give him. What Shikamaru lacked in physical strength he sure made up for in stubbornness. Kankurou himself couldn't go two months without something, be it a warm body in bed or his own hand. The Suna ninja had been certain Shikamaru was like every other young, red-blooded shinobi in that he would go for any body that was nearby, especially in his state.

But Shikamaru had proven him horribly wrong, threatening the other boy with jutsus Kankurou was positive the other made up, but the Suna shinobi was cautious by nature. And he liked having all his limbs and other assorted body parts.

Shikamaru arched again, and Kankurou was certain he heard a snap. He shifted over, waited for Shikamaru's body to go limp, and reached out to touch fevered skin. Chakra slowly moved through the boy's system, Kankurou checking for internal wounds.

Shikamaru's fist slammed into Kankurou's nose.

With a startled - and aborted - cry, Kankurou jerked away from Shikamaru, and hastily pulled a kunai, metal striking metal as Shikamaru lunged at him with a kunai of his own. The Konoha nin's eyes were wild with madness, his movements sharp and jerky, and Kankurou realized something.

Shikamaru was getting off on it.

"Shikamaru! Calm down!"

"Told you not to touch me." Shikamaru snarled, lunging again. Kankurou rolled out of the way, and laid simple chakra lines in the sand. He only got one shot at this, and if he missed...

Well, he didn't want to lose his head.

And he didn't want to break Shikamaru's legs.

Shikamaru lunged again, incensed with drawing blood from his prey. Kunai clashed and sparks flew in the growing light, two ninja dancing around each other, one trying not to die, and the other trying to kill. Kankurou ducked, grabbed those threads of sand, and pulled. Shikamaru's body flew up in the air like one of the Suna shinobi's puppets, pulled taut and then trussed up, arms tied behind his back, ankles tied together. Shikamaru shrieked and writhed. Kankurou let him, keeping his arms taut and his hold tight on the threads, watching the sands bite into pale skin not covered by flesh, beads of red staining the crystalline sands.

"Now, I'll let you down, on the condition you stay calm."

"Don't touch me. I don't want you touching me!"

Kankurou slowly approached Shikamaru, lowering his body to the sands beneath him, letting the chakra-sand ropes binding him loosen. Shikamaru struggled free and darted away from him, staring at Kankurou with narrowed eyes. Kankurou raised his hands in front of him and stilled.

"I won't touch you. Just let me make sure you're not hurt."

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Don't touch me!" Shikamaru tensed, relaxing only when he realized the other wasn't moving toward him.

"All right, I won't touch you." Kankurou conceded, moving a little closer when Shikamaru seemed to allow it. "I'm going to take you to Sunagakure. We're going to get you help."

"Help?" Shikamaru asked in a small voice, watching Kankurou draw closer to him, then kneel down, arms outstretched.

"Yes. Help. We'll get you help, and then we'll get you an escort back to Konoha. Trust me, Shika. I don't want to hurt you." Kankurou reached out to place his hand lightly on Shikamaru's shoulder, and caught the fist that came his way, letting go when Shikamaru jerked on his fist.

"You won't touch me again?"

"No one will touch you. Come on, if we don't hurry, we'll be walking through the hottest part of the day."

Kankurou moved away from Shikamaru, watching him struggle to his feet. Kankurou packed up camp, and decided to keep the water and food on his person. He wasn't about to deprive Shikamaru of his weapons; he'd tried just before getting water from the oasis. Shikamaru was quite willing to help him do that, bodily throwing him into the pond, shouting that if Kankurou tried to touch him again, he was going to cut off everything important to him, from his fingers to his pride. Kankurou let him keep his weapons, and changed tactics. He kept the food and water, which kept Shikamaru leashed to him. At least he would be sure the Konoha shinobi wouldn't wander off.

When the sun reached its zenith, the pair was almost at the gates of the Sand ninja village. Kankurou waved a hand to the guards, and looked back at Shikamaru, gesturing for the other to come forward. Shikamaru stepped forward, and jerked back when one of the guards appeared by his side, hand automatically flying to his kunai pouch. Kankurou whipped Karasu out of his bandage-pack and put the puppet between the Suna guards and the ailing Konoha ninja.

"Don't touch him," Kankurou ordered, using Karasu to urge Shikamaru to his side, returning the puppet to the bandage-pack, not taking his eyes off the guards. "He's with me. I'm taking responsibility for him. Now, one of you, get your ass to Konoha. I want you to speak to the Hokage herself, tell her that Shikamaru's in Suna. Make _sure_ you speak to the Hokage herself. I don't care which one of you goes, draw straws, having a drinking contest, whatever, but you're to bring back an escort."

"An escort?" One guard questioned, looking at his partner, then back at the boy who was ordering him around.

"Do you want me to tell the Kazekage you nearly killed one of his allies? Because, well, I am a performer." Kankurou grinned. "And I am his brother."

Kankurou thought that was the fastest he'd ever seen those guards run.

Shikamaru was beside him still, shaking.

"Come on, Shika. We need to get you out of the sun."

Shikamaru followed obediently, brown eyes on the puppeteer's back as they moved through the village, toward an apartment building near what Shikamaru supposed was the Kazekage's building. Kankurou led him up two flights of stairs, down a hallway and into a large flat that was sparsely furnished with a couch, a television set, a stocked kitchen, and a workbench for what Shikamaru assumed were the elder's puppets. Kankurou dropped his packs by the door and removed his sandals, Shikamaru copying and following him into the den. Karasu's case was set down by the worktable, and Kankurou turned toward Shikamaru.

"All right. Let's get you a bath, and we'll go see Gaara."

Shikamaru's eyebrow quirked up. "Shouldn't we have gone to see him when we first arrived?"

"Do you want a bath or not?"

"...Bath sounds nice."

"Good," Kankurou said too cheerfully, gesturing for Shikamaru to follow him. The Konoha ninja was escorted through a bedroom and into the bathroom. A shower was conspicuously absent, Shikamaru noticed, a large tub set into the floor. Kankurou knelt to start the water flowing.

"Get undressed, Shikamaru." Kankurou said, rising and turning to look at the Konoha nin. He was met with a look of skepticism, and smiled like the cat that had caught the fattest mouse with a broken leg. "Want me to help you?"

"Want to lose your balls?"

Kankurou wisely retreated from the bathroom, closing the door behind him. It was going to be a long, long day.


	3. Chapter 3

III.

"I thought Shikamaru was with you," Gaara spoke, kohl rimmed eyes on the stack of reports before him. The one he was listening to now, though, had to be the most amusing one thus far.

"He's asleep. Without nightmares. It's the first time in a week, probably," Kankurou replied, leafing through mission requests from other countries, overstepping many boundaries.

Gaara could care less.

"Theories?"

"He was attacked just after he met the nin who was to deliver the powder. I want to say it was just a freak of nature, but the leader seemed to know exactly what Shikamaru was carrying." Kankurou paused, looking at a particularly interesting request before continuing. "And that nin hasn't returned. I want to say she was attacked as well, but I don't feel right saying that."

"Have you inquired at the hospital?"

Kankurou shook his head, tossing resealed scrolls back into the men he'd got them from. He folded his arms over his chest and glared at a tile in the ceiling.

"Temari's there," Kankurou finally bit out as Gaara's eyebrow rose, and he could no longer ignore the sand crawling up his pant leg.

Gaara made a noise that sounded like a cat choking on a hairball and let the sand drop back down to the floor.

"You know how she is about Shikamaru," Kankurou started, arms waving over his head as if to ward off evil spirits. Gaara nodded, expression as blank as normal, though his lips quirked as it seemed he was trying to fight a smile.

"-Ra. Gaara. Tell your eyes to stop staring at my crotch."

Gaara glanced up at Kankurou and realized the sand tendrils were rubbing against his brother's legs like over-affectionate housecats.

"...Tell your crotch to stop staring at my eyes." Gaara forced the sands to drop back to the floor and picked up a jounin report to distract himself. Kankurou glared at him for a while before returning to stare at the ceiling again.

"We need jounin, ANBU preferably, to go down to the river, and fan out north." Kankurou began, almost absently. "They'll be looking for blood. Bodies. Those three missing girls are in a cave there."

"Dead?"

"Quite."

Gaara made a sound and filed away a stamped report. Kankurou was gestured toward a drawer that held photographs of all the ninja in Suna, and started fishing around for an ANBU member. Then the team formation would fall to the chosen ANBU and Gaara and Kankurou could concentrate on Shikamaru.

Shit.

Shikamaru.

Temari.

_Shit_.

Kankurou tossed a picture down on Gaara's desk and bolted from the Kazekage's office, running for his apartment. He had left Shikamaru alone with his sister on the loose. He was a royal A-class idiot. Kankurou reached the roof of the building across from his just as a wall exploded outward. It didn't faze him as it would have done years ago. But then he had met a creature named Naruto, and disasters like this had become somewhat normal.

For Naruto.

Not Shikamaru.

Who was standing with his arms rigid before him, skin and hair covered with sand and dust, eyes wild as he glared at Temari.

Or what was Temari's arm, rather, as the girl was buried beneath rubble. Shikamaru leapt out of the hole he had made in the wall as his shadow clone took the kunai Temari threw at him from behind a concealing plant.

Kankurou swore Temari was going to pay for having _his_ apartment reduced to bits. The only consolation was that Karasu was on his back and the others were in the theatre workshop. Temari let out a cry, one of surprise, and that alone had her brother moving. She was trapped between a wall and Shikamaru's shadows, pinned in place as Shikamaru stood before her, a murderous look in those brown eyes. Kankurou knew he should help Temari, but he wanted to see what the Konoha shinobi would do. Considering Temari was a jounin, and Shikamaru was just a chuunin. So he hung within earshot, chakra threads forming just in case he needed to yank one of them out of the situation.

Shikamaru snarled and Temari cringed. She had heard from one of the gate guards Shikamaru was in Suna and had moved to find out where he was. Kankurou was the last person Shikamaru had been with, and so she had broken into her brother's apartment.

What she had found both shocked and appalled her.

Shikamaru was in Kankurou's bed. Asleep. Half naked. Anger had surged through her, because Kankurou _knew_ Shikamaru was hers, and yet had Shikamaru in _his_ bed. The situation was easily remedied, as Temari had moved to get rid of any trace of Kankurou on Shikamaru and replace that scent with her own. Maybe it was rape when it started, but Shikamaru had started reacting so wonderfully, Temari couldn't wait. The moment she'd put her hand down his pants to feel how big he was, she found herself being thrown from Shikamaru and crashing out the far wall by a burst of raw chakra.

It was a split second before she hit the ground, switching with a potted plant before the rubble crushed her. She'd retaliated with a kunai and found herself bound by a Kagemane no Jutsu, Shikamaru glaring at her with death in his eyes. She shrieked as the kunai came toward her throat, and fought the binding jutsu, only to be thrown to the ground as Kankurou's chakra threads wrapped around Shikamaru's wrists and ankles, bringing the Konoha shinobi down.

Kankurou didn't bother to check on his sister; she was okay, despite the bright line of oozing blood on her jugular. Shikamaru was far more important right now.

"Shikamaru? Shikamaru!"

"Shut up!" Shikamaru shouted in Kankurou's face, eyes still angry. "Get me down!"

"When you calm down, I will." Kankurou growled in reply, flicking a glance toward Temari, watching her struggle to her feet. She swayed and jerked her fan to use it to balance herself.

Kankurou wasn't surprised when she glared death at him.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, Kankurou?" Temari shrieked with more decibels than necessary.

"I _think_," Kankurou replied, "I just saved your stupid ass!"

"Shikamaru's mine," Temari hissed.

"I don't belong to anyone!"

"Shut up, Shikamaru!" Temari and Kankurou shouted at the chuunin, Kankurou placing his hand over the helpless brunette's mouth.

Temari grew livid.

"Kankurou! Get your hands off my Shikamaru!"

"I don't see your name on him." Kankurou countered, "Guess he's not yours."

"Kankurou!" Temari screeched, "You are such a...!"

"A what?"

"A faggot!"

Shikamaru stilled. It felt as if the whole world had stopped. There was no outside noise, as if the three of them were in a little bubble. A bubble that held one very homicidal puppet master.

Temari was fast. Kankurou was faster.

He grabbed his sister by one of her pigtails and hauled her close to his body before throwing her out the hole she and Shikamaru had created in his apartment all. Temari didn't have a chance to henge; she slingshot about half way over the building next to Kankurou's and flew back into the puppeteer's fist. Again she slingshot out, and on her return trip was pinned to the floor by Kankurou, his sandaled foot squarely between her breasts and he slammed a kunai beside her head, barely a centimeter from her ear.

Kankurou bent at the waist, maximizing pressure on Temari's sternum, making it incredibly difficult for her to breathe. His fist drew back, and he swung, breaking her nose. Temari couldn't get enough air to scream. She'd known what Kankurou was capable of; she'd seen it herself. But never before had she imagined that it would be her whom was receiving that brutality. Blood was streaming down her face, and already one eye was swelling shut. She cringed as Kankurou's fist drew back for the final time, but the blow never landed. Temari gave in to unconsciousness about the same time Shikamaru grabbed her brother's wrist, the threads holding him having dispersed when Kankurou's rage reached the killing edge.

"Kankurou," Shikamaru whispered, holding tight to the black covered wrist, using all of his non-existent strength to keep Kankurou from killing his sister. He knew quite well Kankurou could kill him easily, especially in the mood he was right now.

But Shikamaru trusted Kankurou, somehow _knew_ that the Suna shinobi wouldn't hurt him.

He was wrong.

Kankurou launched himself back from the prone form of his sister, grabbed Shikamaru by the shoulders, and slammed him into a concrete-sandstone slab. Shikamaru's head knocked against the hard surface roughly enough to daze him and make him question the next events as entirely fantasy.

But those rough, wind-chapped lips against his own felt real enough.


	4. Chapter 4

IV.

Kankurou spent the majority of his time in the hospital washing his mouth out with any human-friendly disinfectant he could find. He'd fucking _kissed _Shikamaru. A _guy_, dammit! He was **_not_** gay! He wasn't! He'd slept with plenty of women, a few more than once. He did **_not_** like men.

_Then why did you kiss Shikamaru?_ The traitorous voice in the back of his mind hissed at him. _You __**knew **__exactly who you were giving tongue._

_Fuck you. _Kankurou replied to his brain-voice, a conscience it was called, and stalked out of the men's bathroom. He wanted to check up on Temari, but his feet led him to Shikamaru. The Konoha nin sat outside Temari's room, head leaned against the wall, asleep. He still wore no shirt, obviously unable to have anything rub against his skin.

Guilt wracked Kankurou at the sight. The kiss probably hadn't helped Shikamaru in any way. The elder shinobi moved to wake the Konoha nin, and found his wrist twisted back to breaking.

"Shikamaru, it's me. Kankurou."

Shikamaru released him then, the tenseness draining from his frame.

"Sorry." Shikamaru whispered.

"I should be saying that," Kankurou countered, sitting beside the ailing nin.

"Why?"

"I kissed you."

"So?"

Kankurou blinked. "I _kissed_ you, while you're like **_that_**, and all you can say is "So"!?"

"While you put your sister in the hospital for calling you gay."

"So?" Kankurou countered, and winced. "All right, so why are you okay with my kissing you?"

"Most of my friends are gay. Neji, Kiba, Shino. Naruto, Ino, though technically she's bisexual." Shikamaru would've continued, but Kankurou's choked out "N-Naruto!?" had him nodding.

"You didn't know?"

"The only one I knew was gay was Gaara. Naruto?"

"Obsessed about Sasuke?"

Kankurou deflated. Of course, it all made sense. From the orange tracksuit to the all out manhunt for the Uchiha.

"So me kissing you."

"If it means so much to you, we can say it never happened."

Kankurou shut his mouth, grabbing his conscience by its scrawny little non-existent neck and twisted. Shikamaru settled back in his seat and rubbed his eyes. Kankurou rose and slanted a glance at his Konoha companion.

"Apartment's trashed, so, uh, we can go back to my house." Kankurou rubbed the back of his neck, nervously, but Shikamaru was too tired to notice or care. The Konoha nin stood and followed the older shinobi out of the hospital, lazily bounding over roofs, coming to a halt in a sandstone-enclosed courtyard. Shikamaru recognized it as the Kazekage's residence.

He followed the Suna shinobi into the huge mansion, and had a feeling of insignificance, right there with that never ceasing need to just get screwed. Shikamaru was lazy, but not picky. He really had wanted to wait for that right person, the one he could form a bond with. At this rate, he could die before he found that person. His weight had sharply decreased in the few days he'd been under Kankurou's ever-watchful gaze. And it wasn't because Shikamaru hadn't been eating, quite the contrary, in fact. Shikamaru had felt like Choji the way he stuffed his face with what food he could find, neither hunger satisfied.

When they reached the bedroom Shikamaru was to stay in, he decided to break his vow of celibacy and give the painted idiot before him a chance to decide if he was gay or not. Though, Shikamaru knew if he kissed like _that_, soul-searching and hot, with full-frontal snogging as Kiba had once recounted an experience with a very pissed off Shino, Kankurou was gay. One hundred percent homosexual.

He was just in denial.

"Shika, stop staring at me like that?"

Kankurou's voice made him blink, and his head tilted. The Suna ninja seemed a little apprehensive, what with Shikamaru's doe-like eyes riveted on his own.

"Want to..." Damn, how did one ask questions like this? "Wanna fuck?"

Kankurou gaped at Shikamaru like the younger boy had grown a second head, complete with three eyes, four ears, and a mouth full of glass shards.

"Look, I don't like the idea either, but think of it as a mission," Shikamaru said, feeling very tired. "You get to find out if you're gay or not and I get to relax. Everyone wins."

"Shit. What... What makes you think I know what to do?"

"Pretend I'm a girl."

Kankurou hung his head and finally nodded. He gestured Shikamaru into the bedroom, following close behind the Konoha chuunin. Kankurou felt nervous. _Think of it as a mission, Shikamaru says._ Kankurou thought bitterly. The Suna jounin was down right freaked, almost hating Shikamaru. What right did he have...? Kankurou let out a quiet sigh. The younger shinobi had a point though. If he found he didn't like the experience then he knew he wasn't gay. Right?

Shikamaru waited until Kankurou had disappeared into the bathroom to take off his pants and sandals, standing naked and painfully aroused before the bed. He had nothing to worry about. Only a one night stand and by morning he'll be on his way back to Konoha.

It would become nothing but a forgotten memory. Right.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru sighed as he pulled back the sheet and climbed into the bed. His heart was fluttering like a caged bird. He was scared. The bathroom door opened and Kankurou emerged, face clean of Kabuki paint, quite naked. He never should have suggested this; Kankurou was huge! How the hell could _women _take the Suna jounin inside them and enjoy it? First thing he was going to do once back in Konoha has get his head examined because how he _knew_ he was crazy.

The bed dipped as Kankurou climbed on and under the sheet. Neither moved, both tense and wary. Finally, with a few mutters, Kankurou rolled to pin Shikamaru beneath him, and pressed their mouths together. Shikamaru relaxed almost instantly and wound his arms around Kankurou's neck, arching up into the stronger body.

_Holy shit,_ Kankurou's brain managed to gasp out when he broke the kiss for air. He moved again, grinding his hips down on the younger boy's, earning a moan where he would have got a whimper. Kankurou stopped thinking, and just moved. His mouth made hot trails of kisses down Shikamaru's neck to his chest, listening to the sounds he pulled from the chuunin's lips, growing harder all the while.

His tongue flicked against Shikamaru's left nipple, his hand tweaking the right, and he felt nails rake through his hair and dig into his shoulders. Unbidden came the desire to see Shikamaru like this without the help of the aphrodisiac, but the Suna shinobi tossed the desire out the window. He wasn't gay, and this was only to prove it to himself and help Shikamaru. It was a mission. Kankurou pulled away from that lightly tanned flash and wrapped his hand around Shikamaru's aching flesh. Shikamaru arched and made a choked plea, Kankurou almost missed a beat in the rhythm his hand was making on Shikamaru's erection.

_No_ woman had _ever_ mewled his name like Shikamaru had just done.

_Not gay, not gay._ Kankurou repeated, spreading Shikamaru's legs and settling between them. Good kami-sama, now what? Shikamaru was no woman, and was in no way ready to take Kankurou in dry. He continued to stroke Shikamaru's erect penis while he thought. He didn't want to hurt Shikamaru. That would bring in people he really didn't want to tangle with. So he stroked and thought and stroked and thought some more. Shikamaru was writhing beneath him, long strands of brown plastered to his forehead and cheeks by sweat. His whole body glistened with it.

"Yatta," Kankurou whispered, and moved to suck on his fingers mimicking a penis thrusting into any orifice a perverted mind could provide.

"Kankurou, dammit, please!" Shikamaru cried, writhing against the hand on his ever-needy erection, doe-brown eyes riveted on those thrusting fingers.

Dark green narrowed a little, and Kankurou pulled his fingers from his mouth with a suggestive pop. He trailed his fingertips down Shikamaru's stomach, over his belly button, and through the thatch of wiry hair between his legs before pressing two digits inside of his one-time lover.

Shikamaru only moaned in pleasure, pain nearly non-existent. Kankurou only moved enough to coat silky inner flesh before positioning the head of his own erection against Shikamaru's entrance, and pushed until the Konoha nin's body had taken him in to the hilt.

Kankurou nearly came right then. Shikamaru was so goddamn _tight_, tighter than any woman. Silken inner walls contracted and relaxed around the invading member, and Shikamaru writhed, legs wrapping around the jounin's waist, changing the angle and driving Kankurou deeper inside.

Shikamaru gasped and arched, and Kankurou began to thrust because whatever he was hitting made Shikamaru whimper out his name and grow impossibly tighter. Somehow, Kankurou's hand found its way between them, and began to stroke in time with his powerful thrusts. Shikamaru was as wet as a women by now, and Kankurou could move easier despite the growing tightness. One last time, Shikamaru gasped out the jounin's name, and his passage constricted around Kankurou as hot white seed spurted out between their bodies.

Kankurou cried out despite himself and emptied his passion into Shikamaru, catching himself before he crushed the Konoha chuunin beneath his body. When he glanced down at his lover, Shikamaru was already asleep, leaving Kankurou to clean them up. The elder shinobi used the sheet to wipe off the come on Shikamaru's body and to wipe between his legs.

Kankurou winced as the sheet came away darkened by blood, but he chalked it up to Shikamaru's being a virgin. Virgins always bled on the first time, right?

"Dammit." Kankurou whispered as he lay down beside his lover, covering them with the clean end of the soiled sheet. Shikamaru rolled into his body, and damn if he didn't feel nice snuggled up against Kankurou.

"I'm not gay," Kankurou pleaded helplessly to the growing dark. Shikamaru's arm across his chest seemed to say otherwise.


	5. Chapter 5

V.

Kankurou let himself into the Kazekage's office right after Neji and Hinata collected Shikamaru. Gaara hadn't bothered to show, so Hinata had given Kankurou a letter for him to give Gaara and left with her jounin cousin. If they noticed the limp Shikamaru had, neither Konoha ninja said a word.

As he predicted, Gaara was up to his insomniac eyeballs in reports and requests, glaring at his brother.

"I come in peace, oh great one."

"Urusai." Gaara snapped. "What's that?"

Kankurou tossed him the letter and set to pacing.

"It's from Hokage-sama, or so says Hinata."

Gaara gave his brother and then the envelope a murderous look before moving to open the letter, crumbling the missive in his fist.

"What's got your panties riding your ass?" Kankurou questioned, and dodged the sand powered paper wad aimed at his head.

"There's a wedding taking place in Konoha. We have been... cordially invited to attend."

Kankurou stopped, and stared at his brother. "Who's getting married? Why do we have to go? Do we have to go?" He asked warily.

Gaara's kohl-rimmed eyes met his brother's dark green, face carefully blank.

"That bad, huh?"

"No one's ever told you you're an idiot, have they?"

"No one's ever told you you're a depressive homicidal insomniac, huh?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Apparently, Asuma and Kurenai are getting married."

Kankurou's world stopped. "Oh-kay... then why are you all moody? And I'm not an idiot."

"Yes you are. And yes, we have to go. Apparently, the Hokage believes it would be a show of good faith and a show of strength for both Konohagakure and Sunagakure with that treaty we have."

"Ah..."

"And you, Kankurou, will be escorting me. Along with Temari."

Kankurou's face paled behind the Kabuki paint and he glared at his brother. "What? Perhaps you don't remember the last time Temari and I were together. I put her in the hospital."

"I know. And her medical expenses have come out of your jounin pay." Gaara's familiar homicidal grin appeared as he rose from the chair and circled around the desk to stand before his elder brother. "You had sex with Shikamaru."

"How'd you- no I didn't."

"You left the sheet for the maids to find." Gaara replied, enjoying watching the puppeteer squirm. "You liked it didn't you?"

"No I-" Kankurou glared at his brother and finally deflated. "Yeah. Does that mean I'm gay?"

"No." Gaara watched the elder relax and decided to yank the carpet out from under the jounin's feet. "Are you still thinking about it?"

"Yeah," Kankurou bit out, not liking where this was leading.

"Can you not stop thinking about him?"

"Gaara, dammit, tell me!"

Gaara grinned. "You, dear, Nii-san, are in love."

Kankurou slammed his fist into his brother's grinning face, and howled as the sand shield nearly broke his fingers.

By the time Shizune had finished giving him his examination, he was tired of doctors. Thankfully, he was friends with a blonde whirlwind named Ino who had tricked Rock Lee into chasing out the medical ninja who were crowded in Shikamaru's room. She'd told Lee Sakura had asked her to tell him to do that. And Lee, not one to refuse the requests of his future wife, quickly complied.

"Thanks Ino." Shikamaru whimpered, knowing the next visitor was to be the Hokage herself.

"My pleasure." Ino replied, folding her hands behind her head. "Doctors freak me out, too."

"Yeah, well."

"I know. How troublesome, right?"

Shikamaru smiled and nodded, sitting on the examination table. Ino moved to sit beside him and tilted her head to look in her friend's face.

"So you really..."

"Uh-huh."

"And he..."

"Mm-hmm."

"Do you love him?"

Shikamaru tensed a little. Did he love Kankurou? The elder ninja had helped him through the night, but after that taste of pleasure, things seemed to have gotten worse. He couldn't stand to have _anyone_ touch him, he only wanted Kankurou, and he tolerated Ino's proximity because she only exuded a friendly air and kept minimal distance.

"My body does." Shikamaru said quietly.

"If he comes here, would you let him in again?"

"Yeah. Is that love?"

"Or stupidity." Ino replied. "But, yeah, I guess so. I think love is that feeling of completeness you get when you're just in that person's presence, and you hate to leave them."

"Then I guess I'm in love."

"Guess you are." Ino's gaze flicked to the door. "You coming to Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei's wedding?"

"I'm not passing up a chance to see Kurenai-sensei in a dress or Asuma-sensei without a cigarette."

"Well," Tsunade began as she entered the room, Sakura, Shizune and another medical ninja in tow, "You're not leaving here unless you're cured."

"Aw, Tsunade-sama! How can you deprive anyone of seeing Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei's wedding?" Ino complained, echoed by Sakura. The Hokage rubbed the bridge of her nose, eyes closing against the kunoichis pleading faces.

"Fine. But he'd better be accompanied." The Godaime conceded and the two girls grinned at each other. Ino gave the elder woman a victory sign.

"I won't leave his side!"

"I was thinking Chisuru here," Tsunade gestured at the unfamiliar medic, "but I suppose two pairs of eyes would be better than one."

"Considering Shikamaru-san's condition," Chisuru spoke up, "it would be best to have Ino-san accompanying myself and Shikamaru-san."

Tsunade gave the smaller woman a precursory look and nodded before turning her attention on Shikamaru.

"According to Chisuru, only sex or bloodletting will cure you," Tsunade told her chuunin gopher. "Or else you'll end up wasting away and dying."

"I'm not fucking anyone and I'm not killing anything." Shikamaru replied. "I want to eat and then I'm going to sleep."

"Shikamaru, this is your life at stake here." Sakura tried to plead, but Shikamaru merely glared at the three medics. Ino risked her hand when she grabbed Shikamaru's and began to pull him from the room.

"He's had a hard few weeks, Tsunade-same," Into said cheerfully, throwing the other woman off guard. "I'll get him fed and he can nap. We can talk about other stuff later. Ja ne!"

The pair was gone before Tsunade could order them back. Grumbling, she left the room, Sakura and Shizune right behind her. Chisuru stayed for a moment, tapping her lips. Events had taken a very interesting turn. Nearly gloating, Chisuru waltzed from the room and out of the hospital, vanishing from view when she reached a shaded place. She reappeared just outside the village border, and glared in the direction of two withered trees.

"You failed." Chisuru began. "But I will forget this. It will be remedied. I expect you to be ready."

Silence greeted her, but by then Chisuru had vanished back into Konoha to follow her charge.


	6. Chapter 6

VI.

Jounin-ANBU dropped down in front of the cave Kankurou and the Kazekage had described. The leader gestured two of his teammates into the cave; the kunoichi leading and her counterpart behind. Her nose wrinkled behind her mask as the scent of rotting flesh assaulted her nostrils.

She signaled her companion and the two slipped from the cave, nodding at their leader. None of the group spoke, each methodically moving into the cave to collect evidence and formulate a report.

It wasn't a very pretty sight or report, and they knew something horrible was taking place in their homeland, and as of now, they were hopeless to stop it.

Kankurou tugged at the black kimono he wore, horribly uncomfortable. _They couldn't_ _travel as ninja,_ his mind complained, _They had to travel as civilians._

A week since they left Sunagakure and days left before they reached Konohagakure. His butt was horribly numb, and he avoided Temari like the plague. Which meant his was stuck with Gaara. Which was just as bad, if not infinitely worse. Because Gaara was agonizing over simple little details. Hell, it was only going to be practice when they first got there. But Kankurou said nothing, trying to alleviate his numb rump.

No stranger to camping, Kankurou was pleased when the gates of Konohagakure loomed above the trees, and even more ecstatic when they were allowed to walk to the Hokage's tower. Kankurou broke off the train when Temari declared she would accompany Gaara within the complex. Thus Kankurou donned his customary outfit, retrieved Karasu, and went to explore Konoha. As much as he would _love _to see Gaara make Tsunade sputter, there was always the actual meetings between Kages for that. Now it was just formalities. He dropped to the street in front of a flower shop and peeked in. He saw Ino, the blonde kunoichi arranging blooms in a vase as she talked to someone.

Shikamaru.

Kankurou darted away before he was noticed and took a deep breath. Shikamaru was with Ino. He shook his head and growled a little. Shikamaru belonged to him. At least if Shikamaru had mentioned Ino was a lesbian instead of a bisexual, he could relax. But he hadn't, so Kankurou didn't, and with purpose strode back to Ino's floral shop and pushed open the door.

"Hello, Kankurou!" Ino waved at the Suna jounin when he stilled in the door, "We were just about to go up to the Hokage's to see you."

"To see... me?"

Ino nodded, grinning, as Shikamaru groaned.

"Why?"

"Well, Shikamaru wanted to tell you something and he can't go anywhere alone. He's been eating and sleeping, but whatever aphrodisiac was given to him is still in his system. So well, you love each other, right?" Ino was moving for the door. "Have fun, and don't make a mess!"

"What was that?" Kankurou asked Shikamaru once Ino had left them in the shop. Shikamaru shrugged and didn't raise his face from his hands.

"So... you love me?" Kankurou finally ventured, moving closer to Shikamaru.

"Yeah. It's been months since that day, and I can't stop thinking about you, or what we did."

"Regret it?"

"No."

"Good. Because even if you did, I wasn't going to let you go."

Shikamaru looked up then, into Kankurou's unpainted face and gave a little smile.

"So you won't leave me, and you won't screw anyone but me?"

"Well," Kankurou began,"I can't promise I won't leave you, but if I'm gonna screw anyone, it's gonna be in their heads."

"Good enough," Shikamaru whispered, knowing first hand a shinobi's life. How often, as a son to a jounin, had he heard his father say "Hello" and "Good-bye" in the same breath? To expect any ninja, no matter what rank, to never leave was preposterous.

"So," Kankurou started, "Ino left us alone."

"We are _not_ using Ino's room," Shikamaru replied, pushing the Suna jounin away from him. Kankurou laughed and drew Shikamaru into his arms.

"There's gotta be another room. You don't want to go out into public like that, do you?" Kankurou asked, his fingers already working on opening Shikamaru's pants, trying to free his lover's straining erection.

Shikamaru nearly broke his nose before bolting up the stairs behind the counter, Kankurou hot on his trail, intent on claiming his prize. He tackled the chuunin back onto the bed in the room just beside what he assumed belonged to the kunoichi, and began the sensuous assault. He latched his mouth onto Shikamaru's pulse, feeling the artery butterfly under his tongue, nibbling on that expanse of flesh, marking Shikamaru as his.

He got kneed in the stomach for that.

"Not where everyone can see!"

Shikamaru hissed in a whisper, making his own bruise on the puppeteer's shoulder.

"They're going to find out eventually if your friend hasn't said anything already." Kankurou groused as he shifted to pull off Shikamaru's pants, exposing his need to cold air. Shikamaru gasped and writhed, mewling when Kankurou's ungloved hand wrapped around that aching flesh and began to stroke. Shikamaru moaned; Kankurou was grinned, letting go of his lover to strip them both of clothing, torturing the Konoha nin by depriving him of touches, and binding his arms over his head.

"What's the matter love?" Kankurou asked as he wrapped his fingers around Shikamaru's erection, slowly pumping it, forcing Shikamaru's hips to be still.

"Want you!" Shikamaru bit out, arching, or trying to, into Kankurou's rhythm.

"You want me?" Kankurou crooned. "How?"

Shikamaru looked dumbfounded and a little angry, but Kankurou only smiled.

"You want me to talk dirty, don't you?"

"Oh, you've seen through my plan. You truly _are_ a genius."

"Ha ha, freaking _ha_," Shikamaru growled, gasping as the rhythm on his penis changed, making him squirm.

"I'm not going to do anything until you tell me what you want me to do to you," Kankurou whispered, but he moved anyway to kneel between Shikamaru's legs and lap at the beading passion at the tip of his blood-infused penis, gagging a little at the salty taste, and then purring at the sweet aftertaste. Made him want more. Much more.

His mouth descended over the head of Shikamaru's penis, his tongue feeling the weight and texture of that hard organ, feeling the throbbing vein when he took more of his lover into his mouth. Shikamaru was making noises, lights exploding behind his eyes from the sheer feel of Kankurou's mouth on his dick, the aphrodisiac making every jolt of pleasure two-fold, Shikamaru barely biting back screams. He was going to come in Kankurou's mouth at this rate, and he didn't want that.

_Fine, you bastard. _Shikamaru thought between explosions of mind-numbing pleasure, _You win __**this **__time._

"Kankurou! Enough, please! I want you! I want you inside of me!"

Kankurou pulled back, Shikamaru's member coming out of his mouth with an audible pop, the Suna ninja staring at his lover with dark green eyes heated with passion and love.

"Inside you? Fucking you?"

"Kami-sama damn you, Kankurou, yes, I want you fucking me!"

Kankurou would've laughed out loud at Shikamaru's disgruntled look, but he was the kind of person who wanted to get laid on _his_ terms. So he positioned himself outside of Shikamaru's entrance, took the time to at least coat his own aching need with spit, and only to avoid blood, he pushed his fingers past loose folds to stretch his lover before pushing in.

There was only a small bit of resistance before Kankurou pushed in to the hilt inside of his lover, moisture and tight heat surrounding him yet again. Kankurou barely managed to release Shikamaru's arms before they started a rough rhythm, Kankurou sliding in and out of Shikamaru, claiming his mouth in a brutal kiss.

"Oh, god!"

Kankurou didn't miss a beat, thrusting all the harder into Shikamaru, pounding his beloved into the sheets. Shikamaru came suddenly and with a scream, his seed spurting between them to coat their skin in the sweet, sticky white. Kankurou thrust into his lover twice more before pleasure washed over him, his balls tightening with release as he came inside of the chuunin, his seed filling his lover. Kankurou pulled out and rolled to the side, both panting, Shikamaru sighing happily.

"What is it?" Kankurou asked his lover, the younger man smiling.

"I think it's gone."

"What's gone."

"The aphrodisiac."

Kankurou rolled, and ran his hand down the length of Shikamaru's body, over his groin and between his legs. No reaction. Immediate, anyway.

"Good," Kankurou breathed, and drew his hand back. Glistening red caught his attention then, and he cursed.


	7. Chapter 7

VII.

Kurenai actually looked like a woman. Asuma had to fight back his urge to look up toward Kurenai despite the gestures Ino and Shikamaru were making at him and the punishment they received from their fathers. Dressed in a traditional wedding kimono, Kurenai stepped lightly toward the altar, eyes downcast, even as she knelt beside her husband to be.

"You look depressed," Asuma whispered to his wife, Kurenai slanting him a glance.

"My legs don't seem to want to close right, Asuma."

Asuma smiled as they went through the motions of the wedding. Last night had involved too much alcohol and a very comfortable bed. In the month they had been preparing for the wedding, Asuma and Kurenai hadn't been as active as Kankurou and Shikamaru, or any other couple for that matter. Last night had been wonderful.

"In a few hours, you won't care about that."

"No missions, no disturbances for two whole weeks. It would suck if I didn't love you."

"And if you didn't love me, we wouldn't be here right now, would we?" Asuma replied, grinning.

"Mm, no. I think we'd still be sneaking around with the other jounin whispering behind our backs." Kurenai replied with a smile as they stepped away from the altar, and moved out of the temple onto the cherry-blossom covered grounds. Asuma only grinned at the woman he loved and Kurenai only smirked back. Two weeks to relax and roll around and be as loud as they could possibly be without having to worry about alerting any nearby ninja to their location or activity.

Nobody missed them at the reception, as most of Konoha figured Kurenai would drag Asuma off somewhere for the night.

Kankurou stayed close to Shikamaru considering Temari was on the prowl, but she was occupied by TenTen, the Chinese girl giving her many stories of love to brighten the poor kunoichi's spirits But Kankurou had been drawn away by a drinking contest between Kakashi and Shino, leaving Shikamaru in Ino's care. Ino soon handed him over to Chisuru and the medical nin had brought him home. Shikamaru had thrown up and gone to bed. Kankurou had joined him about two the next morning.

Shikamaru sat with Ino in her flower shop again, arranging blooms with her because he'd had nothing better to do. He'd thrown up again that morning, so Chisuru had told him to relax today and not do anything strenuous, had taken a blood sample, and promised to inform the Godaime he was resting under her express orders.

Shikamaru figured he'd eaten something funny for breakfast and just decided to go along with what he was told. No work, more sleep. And Ino would let him sleep and mope. Kankurou had left early that morning with the rest of the Suna ninja, in charge as acting Kazekage until Gaara returned, since Tsunade had asked Gaara to stay a little longer to fine-tune the treaty. And then it could be months before they could see each other again. It really wasn't that bad, Shikamaru trusted Kankurou and he wasn't going to screw anyone else besides the puppeteer.

"So Lee finally gets up the nerve to ask Sakura to dance and – Shikamaru. Are you listening?"

Shikamaru looked up at Ino and the blonde kunoichi sighed.

"Sorry," he said.

"Well, it wasn't like he asked her to marry him or anything." Ino said in a huff, smiling at her teammate. Shikamaru smiled back and stuck another rose in a vase full of baby's breath and carnations.

"Well, he'll ask her soon, right?" Shikamaru asked to appease the blonde kunoichi and to have a chance to stop moving. Nausea was washing over him again, and he wanted a clear run for the bathroom if he had to puke.

"Maybe. I mean, yeah we can get married now, but it's the babies. Sakura's still doing chakra-heavy training and she's learning to be a journey-maid, so she can't be having babies now." Ino was saying. "Normally, she'd be pregnant with her second or third kid now and… Shikamaru?"

Ino watched her friend flee the room, rushing for the bathroom. Ino followed, and winced at the sounds of someone getting sick. Ino frowned and knocked on the door just as Shikamaru flushed the toilet.

"You okay?" she asked, leaning on the doorframe.

"Yeah. I think it's a virus or something. I've been throwing up all morning." Shikamaru replied between washing out his mouth. Ino tilted her head.

"All morning?"

"Well, last night too, but Chisuru just took some blood and told me to rest."

"Did Chisuru tell you the results of the blood test?"

"Said it was a hormonal imbalance," Shikamaru whispered as he lurched over the toilet again. Ino blinked and grew pale.

"If you're gonna puke, do it. We have to go see Sakura."

"Why?"

"Sakura can see that test Chisuru brought to the hospital."

Shikamaru nodded, and when he had finished up chucking his digestive tract, he and Ino closed the floral shop and started walking toward the hospital. The walk seemed to do Shikamaru good, the nausea fading away. Ino held his hand the entire walk, moving into the hospital and to the desk. Shikamaru was let go of as she conferred with the front desk on the whereabouts of her pink-haired friend. In the end, Sakura was paged and Ino and Shikamaru walked the halls they could until Sakura found them in the stairwell.

"What's up?" Sakura asked, eyeing her two friends.

"Did Chisuru enter a blood test in here?" Ino asked, the trio moving down three flights of stairs to the laboratory on the basement floor of the building.

"Well, I don't know. I'll check. I haven't seen Chisuru since the wedding." Sakura replied as she pushed open the double doors leading into the lab. Ino and Shikamaru followed her, and Sakura stopped by the centrifuge that held that day's blood tests. She searched each little vial, even checked twice, but there was nothing labeled for Shikamaru, or even unlabeled. Sakura moved over to the check-in list then, looking at the names of the medical nin on duty, and those who sighed in to use the equipment. No one named 'Chisuru' was on the list.

"Well, she obviously isn't here," Ino said when Sakura told them of her discovery.

"We're the only facility for miles with the equipment she would need to use," Sakura said, "I have to report this to Tsunade-san."

"You do that. I'm gonna take Shikamaru home."

"Well, before we do anything like that," Shikamaru started, feeling sick again, "Why don't we have Sakura find out what's wrong with me."

Sakura nodded and moved to get a syringe, just as the woman she was supposed to report to entered the lab, followed by a distressed-looking Shizune. The Godaime paused and looked around at the faces around her, reaching out to grab Sakura a moment later.

"Ino, Shikamaru, come with us, please." Tsunade said, and the two chuunin shrugged, following their village leader from the lab.

"Have you seen Chisuru?" Tsunade asked, and looked discontent at the answers of 'no' she received.

"Why?" Ino asked, "What's wrong?"

"There are no records of a Chisuru here at the hospital. No one else seems to know who she is. Only we do."

"Impossible," Shikamaru said. "I don't think five people can hallucinate the same person."

"Obviously, we did." Shizune said. "We all had a very convincing hallucination as well."

"But why did we imagine such a person?" Sakura asked, looking a little perturbed.

"Well, maybe it was something we ate." Ino said, thinking of Shikamaru's illness. Tsunade shrugged.

"We were all drinking at the wedding," The Godaime said.

"But she was here at least a day before." Shizune answered, looking at the woman she served. Tsunade looked pained.

"Then maybe it was something we ate, or something we inhaled." Ino spoke softly. "There was some kind of perfume I smelled, and after Chisuru left, it was gone."

"So, somehow, we all imagined the same woman, by way of hallucinogen or something else?" Shikamaru asked. "Five of us?"

"Maybe it was a dream. A really, really convincing dream." Ino said, looking doubtful.

"It's probable." Shizune said after a moment of silence. Tsunade shook her head.

"Regardless, keep an eye out for her," The Godaime said. "If you see her, alert me. I want to know what the hell is going on."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Warning: From here on out, this story becomes a little different. I've been planning to do this from the beginning, and I'm sorry if this offends any of you. A MPreg is when a man gets pregnant, and this is exactly what I've done. I know I'll most likely lose all of you now, but please, all I'm asking is to give this a chance. Please don't stop reading simply because I've thrown this little twist in there. Thank you for your reviews and comments, by the way.

~Kirishtu

VIII

Whirring filled silence. Dark eyes watched crimson. Whirring faded to silence. A smile.

-

Ino watched Shikamaru curiously, her friend a little more energetic than usual. He was substituting for Iruka-sensei; the poor chuunin was out with a cold, which meant Iruka was being 'taken care' of by Kakashi.

"Hey, Ino," Kiba called, waving at the blonde girl as he and Hinata approached, startling the blonde kunoichi out of her reverie.

"Hey guys," Ino replied, smiling. "What's up?"

"We were on out way to meet Shino." Hinata said quietly, clasping her hands before her. Kiba grinned a bit.

"We're gonna do some training. You wanna come with?"

"No," Ino replied. "I'm keeping an eye on Shikamaru. Does he seem… I don't know, chubby, to you?"

Kiba and Hinata looked toward the brunette chuunin, and Kiba shrugged.

"Maybe. Anyway, I'm off. Catch up soon, or we'll leave you behind, Hinata." Kiba clasped his hand on the Hyuuga kunoichi's shoulder before walking off, leaving the two women alone, watching Shikamaru instruct children in throwing implements of pointy death.

"He does look kind of… pudgy." Hinata said after a while. Ino glanced at her and then back at her former teammate.

"He was throwing up, up until the beginning of this month." Ino said, sighing. "Maybe he's eating. Maybe he's depressed about Kankurou."

"How long have they been apart?"

"Almost three months. He seems to be doing okay, though." Ino tilted her head as she watched Shikamaru duck a stray shuriken. He was yelling at the poor kid, softening the reprimand with a pat and a private lesson. Hinata nibbled on her thumbnail and looked at Ino.

"I could see if he's sick. Sometimes his chakra could be low, so he eats more to keep up his energy."

"Would you?" Ino asked. "That would be wonderful."

Hinata smiled and activated the Byakugan, staring right at the brunette chuunin. Chakra was flowing healthily throughout his body, and she sighed in relief, about to close her eyes when she noticed something odd.

Chakra was swirling around Shikamaru's stomach, just a little, as though new chakra was being formed. Hinata blinked and released the Byakugan, looking toward Ino.

"Something's weird." Hinata said. "I think something's messing with his chakra paths."

"Doctors?"

"Or Tsunade-sama."

Ino nodded and Hinata moved on her way, leaving the blonde to watch her friend. She wasn't alone in that, dark eyes watching from shadows.

-

"There is nothing wrong with me," Shikamaru growled for the third time since he and Ino had gone to see Sakura and the Godaime. He was currently shirtless, cold as hell, and laying on his back on a table surrounded by women and machines. He felt like an experiment.

"Then we'll find nothing wrong." Tsunade said as she rubbed cold gel on Shikamaru's stomach, smearing it liberally as she felt the firmness of his stomach. It worried her a little bit.

"Shizune, the paddle please. Sakura, turn on the monitor. Ino, move."

Ino grinned and moved to stand by Shikamaru's head, both ninjas' eyes centered on that ultrasound image. Shikamaru made a choked sound.

"What is that?" He asked, panicked. "A tumour!?"

Tsunade nearly dropped the paddle, partly from shock and mostly from laughter at Shikamaru's outburst. Ino and Sakura looked at each other and then at the screen. Shizune blinked and looked over at the Godaime. Tsunade looked to the boy on the table, and smiled despite the murderous look he was giving her.

"That is your baby, Shikamaru."

"I'm having a baby," Shikamaru stated more than asked. Tsunade nodded.

"Kankurou must be the father. Don't look so scandalized Shikamaru. I'm the Hokage." Tsunade grinned. Shikamaru looked to be in a state of shock.

"I'm having Kankurou's baby." Shikamaru looked toward Ino, the girl taking his hand. "I can't have a baby. I'm male!"

"Does it matter?" Tsunade finally snapped. "This is your baby. You are going to be this child's mother whether you like it or not. If you don't want this child, I will find a foster home. I will not allow you to get rid of this life!"

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune whispered. Tsunade paused and looked at Shikamaru. Tears were sliding down his face, his gaze on that black and white screen.

"Hokage-sama," Shikamaru began, "I want kids. I want a child. I just didn't… think it would be me,"

"It's not just you, Shikamaru-kun," Tsunade said softly. "Kankurou as well."

"Oh god."

"Ino, take Shikamaru home please. Make sure he rests."

"Yes ma'am." Ino pulled Shikamaru to his feet, and they left the room, Shikamaru's hand pressed to his abdomen. Tsunade rubbed her face.

"Sakura, find Naruto. Tell him to come to my office. Lee as well. I have a message that needs delivered."

Sakura nodded and ran from the room, leaving Shizune and Tsunade alone. Shizune gazed questioningly at her friend, and the elder woman sighed.

"Keep it quiet. The less who know about Shikamaru, the better. And stress this with Naruto. Lee, especially." Tsunade told her friend. Shizune nodded and left Tsunade alone, staring at the blank screen.

"What's going on…?" she asked the silence. She left with more questions than answers.


	9. Chapter 9

IX

Naruto was so very close to stuffing Lee's mouth with socks. He wouldn't shut up about babies and the joy of having them, and his desire to ask Sakura to marry him when he returned to Konoha.

It hurt a little, Naruto being all alone now in love. Sasuke was gone, had been gone for nearly four years now, and Naruto knew he should let go. But hope remained, and Naruto finally shouted at his companion to shut the fuck up.

Lee looked scandalized, but quieted. The rest of the journey continued in silence, Naruto leading. They reached Suna near dusk on the second day, and Lee waved the Konoha seal Tsunade had given them to the guards.

"We have to come to see Kankurou!" Lee shouted. "We have the most wonderful news! He's-!"

Naruto rammed his elbow into Lee's side and looked up at the guards.

"We have a note. It's from the Hokage."

The guards looked at them strangely, but let them in anyway. Naruto led Lee to the Kazekage's office, and pinned the joyful youth with a glare.

"You so much as raise your voice, I'll harm you so badly Sakura won't recognize you. Understand?"

"Why so violent, Naruto?" Lee asked, sobered and concerned.

"This is Suna. Kankurou is acting Kazekage. I don't know if the others know about Kankurou, and I don't want to be the one to undermine his authority. Do you?"

Lee swallowed and shook his head.

"Then let me do the talking."

Naruto knocked on the door and entered, Lee behind him. Temari and Kankurou sat with several elders, all looking at the two Konoha nin. Naruto bowed politely and opened his mouth to apologize for the interruption when Lee bounded over to Kankurou and grabbed him up in a hug.

"Kankurou! Congratulations! You are to be a father! You are so lucky!"

Naruto face-palmed and groaned. Temari looked upset, Kankurou somewhere between shocked and frightened, and the elders seemed to be a mix of horrified, angry, and surprised.

"Th-the meeting is adjourned for now." Kankurou said to the elders, and the old men passed by Naruto. The blonde slammed the door behind them and rounded on the Taijutsu master.

"I told you to be quiet!"

Lee's face fell and he released Kankurou, staring at Naruto. The blonde snarled softly and tossed the puppeteer the letter.

"What the hell is he babbling about?" Temari asked, though she dreaded the answer.

"Shikamaru's pregnant. With Kankurou's kid. Three months." Naruto said, making a gesture toward the note. "Tsunade asks you come back with us. Shikamaru's keeping it, whether you want it or not."

Kankurou was silent, reading and re-reading the note. Tsunade wanted to know if he was going to support Shikamaru, to be a father to the child.

"I'm not ready for a kid." He said finally.

"You think about it," Naruto said, pulling Lee out of the office. "We're gonna go down and get something to drink."

When they were gone, Temari looked at her brother. Kankurou stared at his hands, finally looking up at his sister. Temari watched him without emotion, finally sitting on the desk's edge.

"Well?"

"Well what? I can't be a father!" Kankurou shouted at her. "I don't know anything about kids!"

"Do you think any parent knows?" Temari shouted back. "Shikamaru's probably going through worse than you. Kunoichi get the sex talk, not shinobi!"

"Men can't have babies!"

"Does it matter!?" Temari slammed her palms down on the desk, making Kankurou jerk back. "Shikamaru's having a baby – YOUR baby – and you need to be there!"

"Why do you want me to be with him all of a sudden?"

Temari gave a watery smile to her brother, sighing and stepping back.

"I wish that Shikamaru had chosen me. Shikamaru should have a woman, not be the woman. He should be making children, not having them." Temari said, looking at the ceiling. "But he loves you. I saw that when we were at the wedding. And he could never love me the same way. He's having your baby. That's about as devoted as you can get."

Kankurou rubbed his face, feeling the lack of Kabuki paint. It was proof of how into the role of Kazekage he had gotten. Temari patted her brother's shoulder and smiled.

"Go to him."

"I'm supposed to be filling for Gaara. He won't get back for another four days."

"Then I'll act as Kazekage." Temari quipped. "Those old farts can choke on that bone for a while."

Kankurou laughed and nodded, making a grab for the blonde, getting her into a headlock and giving her head a rough treatment with his knuckles. Her elbow slammed into his diaphragm and forced him off her, giving his face a good, sound smack.

"I'm doing this for Shikamaru, not you!" Temari's shouted after Kankurou's retreating back. She smiled though, watching her brother run with Naruto and Lee. When they were out of sight, she jumped, grinning, and moved into the Kazekage's office, starting to plan a quiet girls – and Shikamaru – only baby shower.


	10. Chapter 10

X.

Shikamaru's door slammed in his father's face, and he snuck out the window, dropping to the floor below without a sound. He was going to kill Kankurou now that he could get his hands on him. He didn't get far before his self-appointed babysitters realized he was gone, Ino and Kiba catching up quicker than he could run. Kiba struggled with Akamaru, doing his best not to let the over-enthusiastic puppy bowl Shikamaru over.

"Dammit, Shikamaru!" Ino shouted when she and Kiba finally brought him to a halt. "Knock it off!"

"You tell me that now after you tell me that bastard is here!?" Shikamaru screamed at the kunoichi, Ino giving him that horrible glare, that horrible Don't-make-me-take-over-your-body glare. Kiba pushed the brown strands of hair out of his face, smearing sweat onto his scalp to keep his hair in place.

"Look, Shika," Kiba started, "That bastard's not going anywhere. Tsunade won't let him. And anyway, you shouldn't be running around like that. What about your baby?"

Shikamaru paled a little and Ino turned that glare on the wild boy. Kiba gave a nervous grin and bravely hid behind Akamaru. Ino smacked him anyway.

"The baby won't be hurt because of some running, Shikamaru," Ino said in a commanding voice after beating Kiba senseless. "Some exercise will be good."

"Yeah," Kiba groaned out, picking himself up with Akamaru's help. "Keeps ya healthy. God, Ino, you didn't have to hit that hard."

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if you weren't so thick-headed. What does Shino see in a fleabag like you anyway?"

"I don't have fleas!" Kiba protested. "And Shino thinks I have very good skills, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I'm sure he finds the ability to lick your own balls amusing." Shikamaru said scathingly. Kiba nodded sagely, already used to such remarks. This one was much milder than the last one, something having to do with the dogs and Kiba's mom. Ino never repeated it.

"Oh yeah, he loves that I can lift my legs behind my head."

"And I love the fact you're housebroken," Shino's monotone deadpan sounded behind the trio. He watched the three from behind his dark glasses, the insects inside him buzzing at the high range of emotions.

"Ah, Shino!" Kiba was grinning now, rubbing the back of his head. "What brings you to the Baby-Watch?"

"Hokage-sama wishes to see Shikamaru." Shino replied, staring at Kiba, wondering why the Inuzuka was overly hyper. He looked toward Ino and the girl only shrugged.

"C'mon, Shikamaru," Ino said, pulling her friend away from the pair who seemed to be squaring off against each other. Shikamaru's hands rubbed that growing bump that was his abdomen, and Ino smiled a little.

"Have you thought of names for the baby yet?" Ino asked, if only to distract the shinobi from murderous thoughts involving the father of the little life inside him.

"Not yet. I haven't been able to think lately. My father's being pressured by the Council to make me abort the baby, my mother's after me for my future plans. I don't even know if I'll get to keep my child."

"You will," Ino said, putting her hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "You will. All your friends will make sure of that. Don't worry anymore. Hey, how about Ienzo for a boy?"

Shikamaru grinned a little bit. "Ienzo huh? Why's that?"

"Because it sounds like a good name. Try it. Nara Ienzo. Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Shikamaru mulled the name over in his head countless times, head tilting one way and then the other as he thought about it. He nodded finally, smiling a little more. Ino grinned a bit, and continued to throw our names for Shikamaru to mull over as they walked, taking the long way around simply to make Kankurou sweat. Because Ino hated the fact Kankurou could waltz into Konoha and not even say hello to Shikamaru before running to find the Hokage, she wanted to make him worry and fret and tug at his hair until it was all poofy like a poodle's before she brought Shikamaru up to the Hokage's office. In the end, that was where they were headed, their final destination, and to Ino they got there sooner than she would've liked. She led Shikamaru through the halls, holding tight to his hand, rubbing the back of his hand soothingly as she felt him tensing.

"I'll be right beside you," she said. "They can't make me leave."

Shikamaru nodded, swallowed, and knocked on the Hokage's door, trembling a little as he waited for the door to open. It seemed like something out of a horror movie, the door slowly clicking, creaking open to reveal the scene that lay just a few steps beyond the portal. Shikamaru swallowed again and stepped forward, resigned to his fate. Ino was just behind him, offering silent support as she'd done for him since this whole thing began. She stepped forward just before Tsunade looked up to see Shikamaru, bowing her head just slightly in respect.

"Hokage-sama, I've brought Shikamaru as you've requested."

"Thank you, Ino."

Kankurou chose that moment to stand, turning to face Shikamaru. Ino stepped out of the way, behind Shikamaru just far enough to grab him if he decided to turn violent on Kankurou and deprive his baby of its father. Instead, Kankurou moved forward and placed his palm on Shikamaru's face, watching tears well in Shikamaru's doe brown eyes. Tsunade looked toward Ino who just smiled, slowly backing away, out of the room. The Hokage followed, though she and the blonde kunoichi stood just outside the office door, ready for any action it took to tear the two apart if they got violent.

Kankurou gently ran his thumbs beneath Shikamaru's eyes, wiping away tears, pulling the brunette close to him, hugging him tight. They said nothing; there wasn't any need to, as each just seemed to take comfort in the other's hold, the fact that the other was just there to hold onto. For Shikamaru, it was enough to let him cry into Kankurou's shoulder, though Kankurou tried to hush him. Kankurou just held him tighter and finally gave up trying to get Shikamaru to stop crying. It was minutes – it felt like hours – before Shikamaru finally pulled away and sniffled, rubbing his eyes and muttering about feeling like a total dipshit. Kankurou laughed despite himself and rubbed Shikamaru's face free of the salty evidence of tears.

"You're not a dipshit." Kankurou said, with a slight chuckle. "You have all the rights in the world to cry."

"I refuse to be treated like a woman just because I'm pregnant." Said Shikamaru as he blew his nose in a tissue, smushing the used thing and tossing it in the wastebasket before he reached for another.

"I wasn't treating you like a woman." Kankurou replied. "I was merely stating the fact you've been through hell and not once have you done anything to relieve yourself of the stress."

"And crying's a good way to relieve stress?"

"Hell yeah." Kankurou said with a grin. "Chicks do it all the time."

"I'm going to kill you, Kankurou."

Kankurou laughed though, and noticed Shikamaru's own smile, head angled down to avoid being spotted. Kankurou just approached his lover anyway, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"You worry too much. Stress isn't good for the baby."

"Baby…? Oh damn." Shikamaru's gaze dropped to the bulge of his abdomen, his hand pressing to that bump, rubbing soothingly.

"It'll be fine. Don't worry." Kankurou's fingers caught Shikamaru's chin, lifting his face to press their lips together in a chaste kiss. "I'm here now. We're gonna do this together."

"Together. Right. Yeah."

"Don't tell me you're all weak in the knees from a kiss." Kankurou said in disbelief.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No. No. I'm just hungry. And yeah, a little horny, but more hungry than horny."

Kankurou shook his head and put his arms around Shikamaru's shoulders. "Then let's get something to eat, yeah?"

Shikamaru nodded his head almost emphatically, and Kankurou led him out of the office, waving to the Hokage and the blonde kunoichi that watched them both like a hawk. She relaxed at Shikamaru's smile and waved back, moving off in the opposite direction from the pair. Some things, Ino decided, were best left to the ones who's decisions mattered the most.


	11. Chapter 11

XI.

In the end, the score was Shikamaru three, Kankurou one. Kankurou still couldn't wrap his mind around how Shikamaru could eat green-tea flavoured ice cream with hot sauce liberally drenching the cold treat. Finally, he gave up and just paid for their meal, escorting his lover from the restaurant, just walking around Konoha as he watched the younger man fondle that bump that was slowly but surely growing. It frightened him a little bit that he was going to be a father, especially since he didn't know the first thing about taking care of babies. But then, he figured, he would be moving to Konoha anyway since after the birth Shikamaru would be in no mood to travel and their baby would be too young.

And he really didn't want to contend with Ino. The girl had given them their space, but she still watched the two of them like an overly protective mother hen. He supposed he was grateful for her unseen presence, giving him the confidence to walk with Shikamaru proudly, knowing she, and others like her, were there in the shadows for protection and support. Kankurou had found himself being assimilated slowly into Konoha life, interacting with younger shinobi and kunoichi as Shikamaru still substituted for teachers at the Academy. It had become something of a challenge to go through the day without one kid asking why Shikamaru was going to have a baby, since he didn't look like a mommy, and only mommies could have babies. Kankurou could only watch in amazement as Shikamaru answered the question in the calmest tone ever, not once getting frustrated with the kids for the repeated inquiry. Every day, Kankurou waited for the parents to come storming in and taking the children out of school, just because of what Shikamaru was telling them.

"I'm a special mommy," Shikamaru would say, "My baby is a special baby. I may not look like your mommies, but don't you think mommies could be daddies too?"

It was always the same, the kids mulling it over, and one or two spouting that their mommies go to work every day, but when they come home, their daddies are home to help them with homework or to play with them, and their daddies never went to work. Perhaps Konoha was much more lenient about the same-sex relationships and the gender-role reversal that Suna was. Kankurou also found himself going out on short missions with Naruto and Lee, sometimes Kiba and Shino, sometimes Ino and Hinata, or any of the combination of the above. He was accepted by the ninja who were his age or younger, and in turn the adults began to accept him.

It wasn't an embarrassment to have his name called in ironic contempt when he did something stupid anymore, and he found himself with much more free time to spend with Shikamaru as that baby bump grew larger. Ino began to give them schedules for birthing classes, and Sakura always had time to fit them in for an ultrasound.

It was during one ultrasound that Sakura asked them if they wanted to know the gender of their baby. Silence pervaded the room, and Kankurou almost said yes, biting his tongue when he looked at Shikamaru. At Shikamaru's nod, Sakura smiled, moving the paddle to view the baby's forming face.

"That my friends," Sakura said, "is your baby girl."

Kankurou's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Shikamaru gave a startled little laugh. The two looked at each other, back to the screen, back to each other. Later that night, as Shikamaru curled in Kankurou's arms, the argument about names started and kept on until Shikamaru passed out, head pillowed on Kankurou's chest. Kankurou stayed awake for a few more moments, stroking the soft brown hair that was fanned out across Shikamaru's shoulder, admiring the man. He'd come so far, so soon. A chuunin with severe losses behind him and a bright future ahead of him, Shikamaru was most certainly one in a million. Kankurou placed his hand against Shikamaru's stomach, feeling their daughter kick his hand as if to tell her father everything would turn out okay. He only smiled, closed his eyes, and thought about more names to fight with Shikamaru over in the morning.

Everything was progressing smoothly, even after the reevaluation and the formulation of a new plan. The subject was progressing better than it had first been thought, even if the seed wasn't the desired one. It still proved the theory, either way, and the only thing left now was to finish out the plan. It wasn't enough to watch from afar, no, the upbringing had to be taken into consideration as well. At first, the plan was to let the child remain with the mother had the chosen father been the one to use the subject. But with these two bloodlines coming together, it was now more important to remove the child after birth and raise it in a confined environment, molding it to the surrogate's will. Eyes were within the walls of Konoha, always ready to inform at the slightest change. Soon everything would come to fruition, and life could continue on as normal with only the loss of an infant. Despite the love the pair was spouting, there was certainty in the fact it was all an act to keep the father alive.

Oh, what a fool Chisuru was, to meddle in the affairs of the heart.

True she had disappeared from Konoha, true she had orchestrated the events to claim such a prize, and she was willing to do anything to get it. She hadn't expected the chuunin boy, Shikamaru. She'd expected someone else, someone younger, someone Konoha wouldn't care about. She'd assumed much of the same of Suna, of the girls she'd lured out as an appetizer for her group, of the young medic nin she'd unfortunately had to destroy to take her place. She hadn't counted on the elder brother of the Kazekage to come looking, but it was a turn in events that pleased her. Even if the man she had chosen hadn't impregnated Shikamaru, Kankurou was just as good. But then she realized the implications a child of that particular breeding could have, and her plans had changed from leaving the child in the village to demanding its removal vital. She'd gotten arguments, but it was nothing a bit of flesh couldn't quell. She insinuated herself among the medic ninja again in Konoha, this time using her real unremarkable appearance instead of the jutsu she usually wore to protect her identity. Unremarkable as she was, she didn't tell anyone her name and while she did get confused stares from a young pink-haired girl, and hesitant questions of her name, she merely garbled something, as if feigning a speech impediment. She was left alone then, the pink-haired girl always called away on some other duty. Chisuru only had to bide her time now, and wait for the right moment to swipe her prize. She considered inducing labour just to speed up the process, but impatience had always cost her in the past. So she waited, she earned trust, she proved her loyalty, and was allowed to join the women in the rooms of expectant mothers as they trained her. She kept herself unremarkable, and waited.

She'd gotten better at that over the eight and a half months since this intrepid little journey began. It soon paid off, her careful planning, her patience, for a room was being prepared for the chuunin near the end of month nine, the pink-haired girl presiding over the arrangements. Chisuru knew this part would be the hardest, trying to abduct an infant in the presence of several jounin and the Hokage herself. But she knew she could do it. It was just a matter of escaping without notice. She prided herself on that, smiling as she remembered fooling the whole hospital into believing Chisuru had been a figment of their imagination. She had no reason to believe she'd be suspected or even followed once she escaped.

Once again, Chisuru underestimated the powers of the heart.

When Shikamaru was brought in, she made sure she was on the birthing team. She bowed in and out, running errands for those helping Shikamaru birth the baby, so it wouldn't seem unusual for her to duck out and run down the hall. She only had to get past the few cameras that were mounted in the halls and out the side door. She practiced several times before Shikamaru had been brought in, and knew her path well. So she ran and she returned and she waited, and finally a bawling, bloody, infant girl was handed to her. She let the baby be weighed, deemed healthy (for if the tiny girl wasn't healthy there was no point in taking her, and Chisuru would have to start over), and thought herself quite clever when she switched the bundle that was Shikamaru's baby girl with the bundle of the dead child, ducking out of the room and running, as if she was going to get more towels. Chisuru tore off the medic nin uniform as she escaped the hospital, smiling down at her prize, the infant girl staring back at her with the deep green eyes of her father, intelligent and inquisitive. She didn't bother to meet with her little group of missing nin, and started walking.

Oh, how Chisuru did underestimate the love of a father for his daughter.

Especially since Kankurou had a very special friend by the name of Uzumaki Naruto.


	12. Chapter 12

XII.

The screams of code: AMBER were really starting to get annoying, and Naruto had half a mind to scream "Shut the hell up and let me work!" if it wouldn't have gotten him hit by Sakura. She and Ino, along with Tsunade, were trying to keep Shikamaru from running after Kankurou and Naruto to rescue the newborn girl, even if he knew the impracticality of it. Naruto was the best tracker around and Kankurou was pissed with a father's vengeance. Whoever had taken baby Momogi was certainly going to die a horrible painful death at the hands of Kankurou, if not Naruto.

Because no one messed with Naruto's friends like that. No one ever hurt Naruto's friends without getting hurt in return with severe interest. Naruto caught the scent amidst the running bodies, and without a word to Kankurou, bounded down the hall, out a service entrance. He paused only to study a discarded uniform and wait for Kankurou to catch up before the pair was bounding away, moving as fast as only jounin can. The abductor had a good, almost two-hour lead on them, and if any rescuing needed to be done, it needed to be done two hours ago. They moved with a single minded intensity, Naruto pausing to catch the scent, urging Kyuubi's haste, getting grumbles in return but compliance as well, because even as combative as Kyuubi was, he understood the importance of getting the little girl back.

Trees passed like shadows, Kankurou suddenly halting, nearly forcing Naruto to slam into him. They didn't have to speak to each other, Naruto's electric blue gaze easily finding what Kankurou was staring at. A group of nin, missing nin, the same Kankurou and Shikamaru had described in the report he'd seen on Tsunade's desk when delivering his own. He felt more than saw Kankurou's movement, and in an instant he knew that these missing nin wouldn't survive.

It didn't take long to get the wanted information out of them and leave the corpses behind.

Naruto made a mental note to never piss off Kankurou to the point the elder jounin was riding the killing edge in full force.

The pair ran through the woods, bounding and flying through branches and over streams, Naruto halting this time for the scent had grown increasingly strong. He gestured to Kankurou, and the puppet master moved into the shadows at the blonde's side. Naruto sniffed the air, Kyuubi heightening his senses, and Kankurou gripped his shoulder suddenly.

"You were growling," Kankurou whispered.

"Down there." Naruto replied, not even bothering to apologize. "The scent's strong down there, by that old dock we found last summer."

Kankurou nodded, remembering the experience. A game of jounin-tag that had gotten out of hand, the group had stumbled upon the dock, newly constructed. At the time, it wasn't of consequence, but now, both were regretting leaving that dock untouched.

"We go down, slowly." Kankurou said. "As quiet as we can. I don't want anything to happen to Momogi."

"Nothing will happen to her," Naruto whispered. "I won't let anything happen to her. I promised Shikamaru."

Kankurou nodded and followed Naruto out of the tree, down to the loamy earth below. He knew that when Naruto promised something, it was most certainly going to be kept. It was a trait he liked in the blonde, something that made him willing to follow Naruto instead of lead. Kankurou loosed Karasu from its pack then, strengthening the chakra threads that controlled it, sending it ahead of them when Naruto paused. A boat was docked there, laden with supplies for a good week's trip down river, supplies for an adult human and an infant. So, this bastard had planned this. Kankurou tamped down the growl that wanted to escape and nodded, letting Naruto pick their way forward, the two creeping slowly through the wood to the break that started just before the beach.

Someone was talking, talking over a baby's beginning cry, though the wailing was muffled. As if the infant was in a basket with a lid or something. Kankurou felt his lips twitch into a snarl and watched Naruto creep forward. The younger jounin wasn't using his customary tactic of creating numerous clones and attacking head on, which Kankurou had honestly thought he was going to do. When Naruto paused, though, Kankurou saw for a brief instant the widened whisker-like scars on the blonde's cheeks, and the normally electric blue gaze a vivid red. It was only a moment, but it was enough that whoever was talking emerged to see what had caused such a fluctuation in chakra. Kankurou really snarled then, recognizing the woman.

Naruto, apparently, recognized her too, for he let out an inhuman growl and charged. Kankurou wanted to stop Naruto, but he realized the blonde was providing distraction. He was giving Kankurou time to go in and rescue his daughter. The puppet master didn't waste the moment afforded him, darting from his hiding place to the boat, leaping aboard and following his daughter's cry. He should've known the trap, should've seen it. He heard the click just as he found Momogi, his beautiful little girl staring at him with wide emerald eyes, her face wet with tears. No time to stand mesmerized, Kankurou scooped up his daughter and bounded off the boat, just before the whole thing went up in flames. Father and daughter landed in the water, Kankurou constructing a globe of chakra around the infant girl to keep her from breathing in water. Momogi still cried, frightened, and Kankurou did his best to quiet her. But he had to surface, otherwise Naruto would go crazy.

And Kankurou wanted the pleasure of murdering Chisuru himself.

His head broke the surface just in time to hear Naruto's scream of denial, and waterlogged as he was, he moved into the blonde's view. The scene before him certainly took Kankurou back a moment, staring at the tails that were forming in that red chakra of Naruto's. Almost five tails were visible, but Naruto wasn't in the midst of transformation. No, this was a tandem attack, Kyuubi lending Naruto his strength, their anger fueling the burning red chakra. In an instant, it was gone, Naruto bounding over to Kankurou, another cry of denial echoing, this time from Chisuru.

When Naruto reached Kankurou and Momogi, he was blue-eyed again. Kankurou handed his daughter to the younger jounin, hushing the girl before she started to cry again. Naruto stepped back, out of range of any attack, Momogi held firmly to his chest.

"There's something you ought to know, Chisuru," Kankurou started as he moved slowly toward her, fingers twitching to get Karasu in place.

"You have no idea what you've done!" Chisuru screamed. "That child is mine by deed and I intend to raise her! She is my wonderful experiment and I demand her return!"

Kankurou had to laugh, he had to. "There's something you ought to know, Chisuru," he said again, moving ever closer, ignoring the chakra-laced kunai that were thrown at him. Naruto had worn her down, broken her left leg and her arm, more than likely shattered her ribs, and had done some internal damage as well. Chisuru didn't have a chance in hell against Kankurou. Another time, the puppet master would've let her live. Another time, he would have let her walk away. But not now, not this time.

"There's something you ought to know," Kankurou said for a third time. "You can fuck with my village. You can fuck with my brother and my sister. Hell, you can fuck with me."

He was close, his fist rocketing out to connect with Chisuru's jaw, breaking the bone and rendering speech useless for her. Another fist caught her in her already broken ribs, shattering them worse. When she dropped to the ground, he kicked her over, so she could see him. He kicked her again to roll her, until she lay perfectly where he wanted her.

"You can fuck with Konoha, but I don't advise that, because they'll fuck you over twice as hard." He heard Naruto snort, but ignored the blonde's realization of the double entendre, "But you never-"

He loosed one chakra thread.

"Ever-"

Another loosed.

"Ever-"

The last. Karasu's interior blades snapped open beneath Chisuru, the blades slicing easily through her flesh, decapitating her and removing her limbs, her guts, everything. They snapped back in, cutting her flesh to tinier pieces. Kankurou bent then, grabbing Chisuru's head by her hair, hoisting it up to eye level, knowing some spark of consciousness must still be in there, turning that head to survey the damage Karasu had done to her scheming body.

"Ever fuck with what's mine."

He dropped the head then, looking to Naruto as he pulled up Karasu from the sand, packing it away in its case again, moving over to Naruto and his daughter. Naruto watched him with a mixture of respect and awe, and Kankurou only shrugged. He picked Momogi up, out of Naruto's arms, and held her against his chest, watching those beautiful intelligent eyes move over his face, taking in the sight of blood.

"She didn't cry," Naruto said as they walked back to Konoha, "She didn't cry, not once, at the sight of blood."

Kankurou laughed and looked at the sleeping child in his arms, wrapped in Naruto's obscenely orange coat to keep her warm. "What do you expect? She's my daughter after all."

"Shikamaru's too." Naruto reminded, as they entered the hospital close to dusk. No one hindered the pair, no one demanded to know who they were, why they were here, bloody and bruised, carrying a child. Sakura met them at Shikamaru's room's door and Naruto hung back, letting Kankurou enter by himself, carrying baby Momogi who squirmed in her sleep.

"Let her keep it," Naruto said when Kankurou looked apologetically at him. "I can always get another."

The room was silent when Kankurou entered, and he found Shikamaru on the bed, watching him. He moved over to his lover and sat carefully beside him on the bed, gently shifting their daughter into her mother's waiting arms.

"I never doubted you," Shikamaru whispered to Kankurou as he gazed at Momogi's sleeping face. "I never doubted you'd fail."

Kankurou leaned in, capturing Shikamaru's mouth for a brief moment. "I'd never fail you. I'd never fail you or Momogi."

Shikamaru smiled, his lips trembling as he let himself cry, even as Kankurou hugged him, even as Kankurou settled in the bed beside him, arms wrapped around Shikamaru as Shikamaru held their daughter. Kankurou whispered things to him, loving, insignificant things, but it was enough to lull Shikamaru to sleep. Kankurou watched his family, and looked up toward the growing night. Night held significance to all living things, especially for ninja. For night was the time of silence, the time of renewal, and even though the night was as fragile as stained glass, even the shattered night, the shattered glass, could be repaired. Kankurou looked down at Shikamaru, looked down at Momogi, and knew the shattered glass that had been his family before had been repaired by the birth of this wonderful little girl.

~ Owari ~


End file.
